5 Healthy Eating Tips to Help Reduce your Cancer Risk

Mar 26, 2015

There are no proven ways to prevent cancer, but you can reduce your risk of getting it. New research shows that as up to one-third of all cancer deaths are linked to diet and physical activity, and studies show that you can lower your risk of developing cancer by eating a healthy balanced diet. . The good news is that you have the power to change your eating habits! Here are some useful eating tips to reduce your cancer risk:

1. Eat Cruciferous Vegetables

Studies suggest that people who eat cruciferous vegetables (such as broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower) daily have lower rates of prostate cancer as well as other cancers such as lung, stomach, colon, bladder and breast cancer. Cruciferous vegetables have two phytochemicals — glucosinolates and isothiocyanates — which are thought to help deactivate cancer-causing substances.

2. Eat Foods with Selenium

Researchers suggest that selenium may slow tumour growth by helping cancer cells to self-destruct, and by protecting cells from oxidation. Selenium is found in foods such as seafood, lean meats, eggs, whole grains, Brazil nuts and legumes.

3. Add more flax seeds to your diet

They contain lignans, which may have an antioxidant effect and block or suppress cancerous changes. Flax seeds are also high in omega-3 fatty acids, which are thought to protect against colon cancer and heart disease.

4. Consume raw or cooked garlic, onions, leeks, and chives

Studies have linked garlic, onions, leeks, and chives to a lower risk of stomach and colon cancer. People in the study who consumed raw or cooked garlic regularly had about half the risk of stomach cancer and two-thirds the risk of colorectal cancer as people who ate little or none. It is believed that garlic may help prevent stomach cancer because it has anti-bacterial effects against a bacterium, Helicobacter pylori, found in the stomach and known to promote cancer there.

5. Eat less preserved food

A recent study stated that preserved foods such as pickled vegetables, fermented soy products, salted fish and preserved meat were associated with a significantly higher risk of prostate cancer. As the amount of preserved food in the diet increased, so did the risk